Once all the dishes were served, the three of them arrived. Wei Jianshe was left to be looked after by a neighbor. This was Wei Xigun's first time meeting Jiang Zhen, and he was very satisfied. He felt that his daughter had gotten incredibly lucky, but he was also worried that if Zhao Aiguo hadn't seen this and hadn't exposed it, they might have missed out on this marriage.
Yu Xiaolong greeted them generously, "Uncle, Aunt, hello, please sit down, we're all family." After the awkward greeting, there was an awkward silence. Wei Xigun and Liu Taohua were so anxious that they rubbed their hands together, their faces turning red. The highest-ranking official they had ever dined with in their lives was Zhao's father, the canteen director. They were not good at polite conversation and regretted that they should have invited Zhao Dahu over today.
While chatting with Yu Xiaolong, Jiang Zhen poured water for Wei Xigun and the others, urging them to drink first. The Wei family members awkwardly took their cups and took sips of water every now and then.
Just then, a gentle, soothing voice was heard: "Brother Jiang Zhen, should I start calling you brother-in-law now? Give me a bigger 'change of address' fee! ... Oh my! Isn't this my handsome, charming, universally admired, and even the shyest plant would be ashamed in his presence, Little Dragon Brother? Little Dragon Brother, give me a hug..."
Upon hearing the commotion, Yu Xiaolong was both amused and exasperated. Looking at the approaching boy, he exclaimed with delight, "How come you, you little fatso, have become such a respectable person?"
Yu Xiaolong had been away from the food factory for more than three years and hadn't seen Zhao Aiguo since. He was pleasantly surprised to see him again. He stood up, looked at Zhao Aiguo who was taller than him, and patted his arm hard with both hands. "Well done! You've lost weight, grown taller, and are damn handsome now. How are others supposed to compete?"
"Yu Xiaolong, you son of a bitch, how dare you curse my son! You're the fatso!" Yu Xiaolong was 174 centimeters tall, slightly taller than Jiang Zhen, but also a bit fatter.
Zhao Dahu followed in and heard Yu Xiaolong cursing Zhao Aiguo as a "little fatso." His tiger-like eyes widened in surprise. Yu Xiaolong happily shouted, "Uncle-Master!"
Back when they were learning the craft from Zhao's father's apprentice, although they were often implicated by this chubby guy, every time Zhao Dahu came, it was a time for them to have a treat.
His feelings for Zhao Dahu were exceptionally deep, and he immediately bowed and scraped, saying, "Greetings, Uncle-Master! My foul mouth has no restraint, I deserve to be punished, I deserve to be punished!"
Zhao Aiguo chuckled, plopped down between Jiang Zhen and Yu Xiaolong, and was smacked on the head by Zhao Dahu, who said, "Get lost! This is no place for you to do this!"
Yu Xiaolong immediately fawned, "He can sit, he can sit! This seat was arranged for Aiguo, he's the only one who's suitable to sit here!"
Zhao Aiguo chuckled and said, "You go sit with my uncle. There are no outsiders at this table anyway, so what's there to be afraid of!"
Zhao Dahu chuckled, "See? My son's all grown up, he can take care of his old man now!"
After everyone was seated, Zhao Dahu raised a glass and said, "Xiao Long! Thank you so much, Uncle! You've arranged a job for Da Ni."
Yu Xiaolong quickly picked up his wine glass, "No, no, Jiang Zhen didn't tell me this is your niece, Uncle. I didn't even know you had this relationship..." Then he said to Wei Xigun, "Uncle, let's drink together! We're all family after all." The three of them drank a glass.
Zhao Aiguo was eating with his head down, devouring eight steamed buns and a third of the dishes on the table. Zhao Dahu frowned at his eating habits, and Jiang Zhen noticed and immediately said, "Aiguo is at the age where he is growing. He eats a lot and gets hungry quickly. Eat more meat!" As he spoke, he picked up a large piece of fish.
Even while Zhao Aiguo was eating, he didn't forget Liu Taohua and Da Ni and Er Ni. In the countryside, women don't sit at the table when there are guests, so he felt that if he didn't take care of these three, they definitely wouldn't have enough to eat. In his mind, going hungry was the most important thing.
After everyone had left after dinner, Zhao Aiguo said to Zhao Dahu, "Dad, why does Sister Dani seem a little unhappy? Does she not like Brother Jiang Zhen?"
Zhao Dahu glared at him and said, "What are you thinking with that head of yours?!"
Zhao Aiguo gossiped, "Hehe! I'm just worried about them too!"
Zhao Dahu shook his head and said, "If you put even a fraction of that effort into your studies, you wouldn't be getting scolded by your mother every now and then."
Zhao Aiguo pursed his lips. He couldn't mention studying; he and studying were incompatible according to the Chinese zodiac, perhaps because their elements clashed.
The two strolled home. Wei Dani went back with her family, remaining relatively silent the whole way. After arriving home, Liu Taohua nursed Wei Jianshe, and then Wei Dani held the baby and coaxed him to sleep. Wei Xigun and his wife exchanged glances. When Wei Dani put Wei Jianshe down and picked up his diapers and baby clothes to go out and wash them...
"Dad, do you think Da Ni is troubled by something?" Liu Taohua asked worriedly. As a mother, she was selfish; she did all this so that Da Ni wouldn't have to farm or suffer for the rest of her life. But she didn't think it was wrong, because Jiang Zhen genuinely liked Da Ni; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so shameless as to do this.
Wei Xigun chuckled and said, "It's alright, things will get better once we settle down. You cried the night you married me! But you've lived most of your life without any problems, haven't you?"
Thinking back to that time, Liu Taohua smiled and nodded as she looked out the window at Da Ni washing clothes. "You'll understand Mom later."
The next day, Wei Dani was getting dressed and about to go to work when she saw Jiang Zhenzao waiting at the door on his bicycle. He gave her a bright smile and said, "Dani, I'll take you to work!"
Wei Dani felt that goosebumps all over her body and her face burning up again. She stammered for a while before saying, "Team Leader Jiang, I..."
Jiang Zhen laughed out loud, "Call me Brother Zhen. You don't work in the cafeteria anymore, and I'm not your team leader either."
"I...I..." Wei Dani's mouth was as if it were covered in paste and she couldn't open it.
Jiang Zhen looked at her with eyes so sweet they could stretch to silk, "You'll have to get used to it. After we get married, you can't call me Team Leader Jiang at home, can you?"
Seeing her face turn bright red, I stopped teasing her. "Get in the car, I'll take you to work!"
It takes about ten minutes to cycle from Wei Dani's workplace to the food factory, and it would take almost an hour to walk there. Given Wei Dani's personality, she would never spend the money to take the bus. Therefore, Jiang Zhen thought it would be more convenient for him to leave an hour earlier each day to take Wei Dani to work, so that they could walk together after they got married.
Wei Dani got on Jiang Zhen's bicycle and started her first day of work. After handing over her shift to Grandpa Li, Jiang Zhen said, "There's no canteen here. Wait for me to bring you lunch."
Wei Dani quickly shook her head and said, "No need to trouble yourself, I brought a pancake, that'll be enough for lunch!"
Jiang Zhen smiled and said, "It's settled then. I'll bring you food." Then he rode off on his bicycle.
Only when Wei Dani was alone in her own space did she relax. She let out a deep breath, then filled a basin with water and cleaned the small room three times, leaving it spotless...
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